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Tag: Tennessee

Introduction

Middle Tennessee is a lush, rolling landscape of hills, farmland, woods, and rivers. Bordered by the Tennessee River to the west, the ground rises through the karst topography of the Nashville Basin and the bluffs of the Highland Rim to the breathtaking Cumberland Plateau gorges and gulfs that form the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The limestone bedrock creates a fascinating combination of caves and prairie-like cedar glades that are home to several unique species of plants.

The human history of Middle Tennessee is as rich as its fertile soil. Several Native American tribes lived, hunted, and roamed the area, primarily the Cherokee and Chickasaws. Early European visitors found the land wild and daunting. Legendary frontiersmen such as David Crockett and Daniel Boone cemented their place in American history with their roles in settling the state. The Civil War turned much of the state into a pivotal battlefield as the territory changed hands repeatedly.

Tennesseans value our outdoor resources highly, with a huge number of parks, trails, and greenways available throughout the state. We’re fortunate to have the fantastic Tennessee State Parks to preserve our lovely landscape and cultural heritage. The 56 parks in the system all offer hiking, as well as many other activities such as fishing, boating, and camping. The park staff and volunteers universally embody another bountiful Tennessee resource–Southern hospitality and friendliness. And one more wonderful thing about our state parks… admission is FREE for all!

With so much to offer, it’s hard to know where to start when it comes to Tennessee trails. I’ve been hiking in Tennessee all my life, and I still have a long list of trails I haven’t done! Over the next several articles, I’m presenting my favorites within an easy day trip distance of Nashville that showcase the beauty and history of our state. Happy hiking, and hope to see you on the trail soon!

Dunbar Cave has a rich history, most notably as a venue owned by Roy Acuff for live music, dancing, and radio broadcasts. This attractive loop trail passes through a forest of cedars and hardwoods, along the shore of spring-fed Swan Lake, and next to the cave entrance that forms a natural bandshell. Tours of the cave require reservations for one of their ranger-led programs. Over 8 miles of cave passages have been explored, and it is noteworthy for its large, sheltered entrance.

This is a very popular area and can become crowded. While the suburban setting never quite escapes the hustle and bustle of Clarksville, it’s a peaceful respite nonetheless, and a haven for waterfowl and wildlife.

Hike this loop clockwise, saving the best parts of the trail for last. Start at the marked trailhead by the upper parking lot and follow the Recovery Trail. You’ll quickly pass a trail leading to the cave that goes off to the right; keep going on the Recovery Trail. Go left at the next junction to stay on the Recovery Trail (you can take the Short Loop Trail if you’d like a 1.1 mile total route). The path winds through mainly wooded areas, up a hill and along bottomland, before reaching the other end of the Short Loop Trail and the shore of Swan Lake. Some stairs will take you to the mouth of the cave. From there, it’s a short walk back to the parking area.

One of the newer trails in the Nashville area, the Jones Mill Trail was designed for mountain bikes, but makes for a fine hiking experience too. This double loop winds its way through forests and meadows, ranging from the shore of J. Percy Priest Lake to the top of Bald Knob.

A noteworthy feature of this trail is that it passes through several cedar glades. This unique habitat occurs only in Tennessee and Kentucky. Limestone bedrock is either exposed or covered only by a thin layer of soil, leading to plant life typically found in desert environments. The Tennessee coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) is one of the interesting species you might see along this trail. This beautiful light-purple member of the sunflower family is found in less than ten locations, all within Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson Counties. Thought to be extinct in the 1960s, successful habitat preservation efforts of the Nature Conservancy and Tennessee State Parks have led to its removal from the endangered species list.

Bikers have the right-of-way on this trail: listen for them and be prepared to step aside and let them pass. Note that there is wide variance of reported trail distances. The park website lists it as 4.5 miles, and it’s commonly listed as 3.6 in hiking guides. My GPS recorded 4 miles for the two loops as well as the shortcut connector in both directions.

Just past the trailhead, note the “Direction of Travel” arrow and follow it to do the first loop clockwise. The trail will ascend gently through scrub brush and cedar glades, and there will almost always be wildflowers here during the warmer months. At about 3/4 mile in, a shortcut trail leading to the right allows for a quick return to the trailhead. The first loop completes in bottomland. A short there-and-back segment crossing an old stone fence leads to the second loop. Follow this loop clockwise as well, climbing the steep trail to the top of Bald Knob. You’ll parallel the lake shore for the rest of the hike, completing the Bald Knob loop, then staying left when you reach the first loop. The lake shore is easily accessible from this portion of the trail.

The Duck River is the most biologically diverse river in North America, home to over 500 species of plants, 150 of fish, and 50 of mussels. It drains much of the southern portion of the Highland Rim, flowing into the Tennessee River southwest of Waverly. The Cheeks Bend tract of the Duck River Complex protects an overlook of the river.

This is a trail that is simply fun to do. My favorite part is a small cave leading from the top of the bluff to a riverside view below. Note that the cave may be closed at times to protect bats from the spread of white-nose syndrome; please respect the closure if the signs are present. The cave slopes downward steeply; watch your head! You’ll be able to see the light from one of its entrances throughout the passage.

From the trailhead, follow a there-and-back portion of the trail for about 3/4 mile to the loop junction. Keep left, coming quickly to the riverside bluff. After enjoying the view, look for the eye-catching blue and red blazes that denote the cave entrance, which is several steps behind you if you’re standing on the bluff facing the river. As you complete the loop portion, the porous limestone geography that lends itself to caves is obvious in the sinkholes and exposed rock.

The Hidden Lake tract was recently added to Harpeth River State Park, which protects several segments of this 115-mile tributary of the Cumberland and provides nine access points for canoe and kayak launches. This tract is easily accessed from McCrory Lane off I-40, and its appeal to both hikers and paddlers can lead to busy weekends.

This hike has a little something to offer to everyone. Abundant wildlife and birds will please any naturalist. Hidden Lake is formed by an abandoned quarry, and its deep blue waters make for picturesque views. The trail is interesting, climbing the rim of the quarry to circle the lake. The ruins of a resort from the 1940s add a little bit of long-ago pizazz to the hike.

The Blue Bird Loop Trail departs from the informational kiosk through a mowed path in a field, skirting the treeline at the banks of the Harpeth. A feeder stream marks the edge of the meadow. Follow the Hidden Lake Trail through heavier woods to a trail junction. Stay left on the Hidden Lake Trail. The steep bank to your right leads to one part of the quarry–scramble up it on the social trail if you like. Soon you’ll near the Harpeth again, and just around the corner is the first view of Hidden Lake. Climb the steep path around the edge of the quarry, enjoying several viewpoints over the waters. Stay wary of the steep edge! After skirting the lake, you’ll come to a junction with the Ridge Loop Trail. Choose whichever path you like–they wind up in the same place. A shortcut trail leads between the two halves of the loop. As the two halves meet again, you’ll find the ruins of the resort at the side of the trail. Turn left on the Hidden Lake Trail just as you complete your descent of the bluff and follow it back to the Blue Bird Loop Trail. Take the half you didn’t follow before back to the trailhead.

Trail Map

Hidden Lake Trailhead

The Bluebird Loop passes through a field

The Harpeth River from the Bluebird Loop

The stone bluffs beside the Hidden Lake Trail, remnants of its quarry history

I’m quite fond of Bledsoe Creek State Park, as I grew up near Gallatin and visited it many times. Its lakeshore location makes for great wildlife viewing. Hawks, herons, egrets, turtles, ducks, and geese are common sights along the shore. The park is bordered to the north by open pastures, and the transitional zone between forest and meadow is prime habitat for whitetail deer.

The park also provides a special opportunity for natural encounters with the paved, ADA-compliant Mayo Wix and Birdsong Nature Trails. A long boardwalk and a boat dock are good viewpoints for wildlife watching as well.

Start at the Mayo Wix Trailhead, following the paved path to the Shoreline Trail. At the first junction, turn left for the quickest route, stay straight for a slightly longer one, or go right for the long way. After checking out the wildlife viewing area, follow the Shoreline Trail along the Bledsoe Creek embayment. You’ll pass near camping sites and cross a park road. The trail goes through a wider bottomland to the junction with the High Ridge Trail. Get ready, because the High Ridge Trail starts with a bang as it ascends a steep hill to (you guessed it!) the top of a ridge. The trail meanders along the ridge, with forest to the left and pasture to the right. You’ll pass junctions with the Owl Ridge Trail and a shortcut as the trail descends back to bottomland. After crossing the road by the park entrance, use the Mayo Wix Trail to return to the starting point.

Trail Map

The Mayo Wix Trailhead

Boardwalk leading to a wildlife viewing area

This great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is one of many waterfowl you might see along the trail

The steep ascent of the High Ridge Trail

The forest gives way to pastureland along the High Ridge Trail

This whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was just starting to lose its spots

Small stream along the trail

Safe Hiking

Hiking is a fun activity, but a bit of preparation will pay off in comfort, enjoyment, and safety. Adventure Alan’s excellent article 13 Essentials for the Modern Hiker will help you be prepared with gear and skills to stay safe on the trail.

Leave No Trace

As we are fortunate to have such wonderful natural treasures to enjoy, so are we obligated to protect and preserve them. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is a wonderful resource to learn about using these beautiful places in a manner that will leave them for future generations. Their 7 Principles should guide you in all your outdoor activities.

Geek Stuff

I recorded all tracks with either a Garmin GPSMap 60CSx or a Garmin GPSMap 64s. I cleaned the tracks to remove spurious points and split into separate trails (to allow each trail to be individually labelled) in Garmin’s BaseCamp software. I imported the tracks into CalTopo to generate the topographic map, then edited the resulting image in Adobe PhotoShop to add captions and icons.

All photographs were taken by me using either a Canon EOS 10D or a Canon 5D Mark II (with maybe the odd iPhone shot thrown in for good measure). I usually hike with the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens, which is a good combination of versatility, image quality, and weight. I occasionally use a Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS, or a Canon EF 17-40 f/4L.

Disclaimer

It unfortunately bears saying, in our litigious culture, that you are responsible for your own safety while hiking. This includes evaluation of your own abilities and limitations, bringing proper equipment, evaluating the current conditions of a trail, learning appropriate outdoor skills such as navigation and safety around wildlife, and much more. I assume no liability for any consequence arising from your use of the information provided here, from any omission, or from any out-of-date or obsolete information.

4 stars. For nine months in 1925-1926, Paul Adams was the caretaker of the camp at Mount LeConte in what would soon become Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He selected a German shepherd dog to be his companion, and his new friend proved invaluable. Smoky Jack is compiled from Adams’ journals, complete with a wealth of pictures of the author and his dog, footnotes, and standardization of place names to what park visitors today will know.

Smoky Jack was trained as a police dog and had both a keen intelligence and a special bond with Adams. He was devoted to his master, repeatedly slipping a chain and collar to join Adams when he was left behind. Smoky Jack was useful in many ways: he defended the camp on top of LeConte from a lone timber wolf, he was instrumental in the rescue of many lost hikers, and he helped save Adams after a slip in the rough terrain of the Huggins Hell. Perhaps his most noteworthy accomplishment was that he learned to go from the mountaintop to a store in Gatlinburg, returning with up to 30 pounds in supplies in leather panniers that Adams made for him.

Along with the story of Adams and Smoky Jack, we also get a wonderful historical insight into the genesis of the National Park. Adams was instrumental in developing the trail network in the LeConte area. His journals contain many interactions with the drivers of the conservationist movement that established the park, and those familiar with the Smokies will find many people whose last names became noteworthy features in the park: Ogle, Kephart, Ramsey, and more.

I was also humbled that Smoky Jack would make the trip from the summit of LeConte to Gatlinburg and back in 4 1/2 hours… a blistering pace for sure!

Smoky Jack is a treasure trove for anyone who loves dogs or Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its history.

“A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” — the Wilderness Act of 1964

Nestled in the Appalachian foothills of the Cherokee National Forest, the Gee Creek Wilderness in southeast Tennessee protects a beautiful creek as it tumbles down its gorge. The trailhead is at the end of a gravel US Forest Service road, with a moderate amount of parking and an informative trail kiosk.

The first half mile is a wide packed gravel path on the north bank of the creek with a gradual slope. A wooden bridge crosses the creek, and the trail enters the Gee Creek Wilderness. After this point, the gorge narrows in on the creek and the trail closely follows it past numerous small falls and pools.

The remains of a mining operation are the last traces of civilization along the trail. In the 1890s, the creek was diverted to wash silica, which was used in copper processing operations. The stream passes under a flume, and a concrete structure is visible on the right of the trail.

Shortly after the diverter, the creek forms a twin waterfall emptying into a pool. The trail crosses the creek here by stepping on rocks. There are seven more crossings along the trail to get to the turnaround point. I managed to keep my balance over the first three, then slipped and got my feet wet, so I just waded the rest of them.

The foliage is lush throughout, with lots of rhododendrons lining the trail. I bet it’s stunning when they are in bloom! In one place I had to squeeze through thick growth.

Trailfinding isn’t really that difficult; stream crossings are clear, though it may take a minute of observing to determine that the trail does cross at a given point. One of my favorite obstacles on the trail was climbing up and down a boulder. Again, nothing difficult but a brief pause to decide the best route might be needed.

Toward the end, the trail climbs the steep bank on the south side of the river, passing a good 40 feet or so over the water level.

The trail enters a wider, level hollow at the very end. There’s no marking for the end of trail that I saw, but a large pile of brush blocking further progress was a good indicator that I had reached the official end of the trail.

Gee Creek Trail was extremely fun, and a rewarding way to enjoy a little more of the Great Outdoors on an Ocoee rafting trip. If you’re looking for a campground in the area, I stayed at 2 Rivers Campground in nearby Benton and recommend it highly. Very nice campsites, and the location couldn’t be better–the campground is at the confluence of the Ocoee and the Hiwassee, and all sites are on one of the two rivers.

-Hike descriptions are super-detailed. A few of them might even take longer to read than to hike! Emphasis is given to pointing out natural and historical features found along the trail, making the descriptions far more than simply directions on how to complete the hike.

-GPS points are given for virtually every feature identified in the hike descriptions.

-This book is an excellent guide to Tennessee’s state parks. I think every state park with a trail or path of any sort is featured, with the exception of the two newest that opened within the last few months (Seven Islands and Rocky Fork). On the flip side, all but four of the areas listed are state parks–and there are tons of great places to hike in Tennessee that aren’t state parks!

-The overview text of each park is extensive, educated, and readable.

-I like the “hike finder” chart listing at the beginning, that shows the types of terrain and natural features found on each trail.

-This is a pretty book, well organized and a pleasure to read. The author is both knowledgeable and a clear communicator.

The bad:

-The emphasis seems to be on very short trails. I count 14 “trails” under 1 mile, and 56 that are under 3 miles. In many cases, significantly better trails at a park are overlooked in favor of short jaunts. As an example, the wonderful 4.5 or so mile Cub Creek Lake Trail at Natchez Trace State Park is well worth a visit to the park for its water features, walk across the dam, combination ridge and bottomland hiking, and optional wire traverse across a stream (not to mention that it’s a loop that connects with a pair of beautiful bridges across the lobes of the lake, not a one-way trail as stated in the guide). The Fairview Gullies Trail, a 1 mile loop through astonishing erosive features, is another great choice. But this book gives a full page description of the half-mile Fern Nature Loop instead–a cute interpretive trail, but it’s not going to inspire anyone to drive the 100 or so miles from either Nashville or Memphis to hike it, whereas better choices would.

-The maps are very simplistic, just black and white drawings of roads, trails, water features, a few icons, and numbered points along the trail that refer to the legend and text descriptions. In many cases, these could be simply labelled on the map. No topo lines are shown, so ridgelines are not obvious at all, a glaring oversight. No scale is given. The overview maps of the park frequently don’t identify the trailheads for the hikes (and sometimes don’t even share any features!), which makes it difficult or impossible to match up the hike detail map to the park map.

As an example, check out these two maps from the Reelfoot Lake State Park entry. The first one is the overview of the park. The second is the trail map. Try to figure out where the trail is in the park. From the legend, it is clear that there are roads and bridges along the hike. Why are those not indicated?

-Elevation data isn’t readily found. This is a must for any Tennessee hiking book!

-The book is a big, heavy 8.5×11″ package that I really couldn’t see taking on a hike. Hello, scan and print and the questionable copyright law interpretation that entails…

Probably more “Walking Tennessee” than “Hiking Tennessee”. Good for its coverage of lesser-known trails, but all too frequently these are lesser known because they don’t present much in the effort/reward ratio. This volume could have been considerably better with improved maps and more compelling hike choices.